Airstrikes hit Tripoli as Haftar steps up assault on Libyan capital

Not clear whether aircraft or unmanned drones were behind strike, which follows US statement in support of Haftar

Several airstrikes and explosions shook Tripoli overnight in an escalation of an assault on the Libyan capital by the warlord Khalifa Haftar.

A Reuters reporter and several residents said they saw an aircraft circling for more than 10 minutes over the city late on Saturday, and that it made a humming sound before opening fire on several areas.

Libya is on the brink of an all-out civil war that threatens to upend years of diplomatic efforts to reconcile two rival armed political factions. An advance led by Khalifa Haftar, the warlord from the east of the country, has diplomats scrambling and the UN appealing in vain for a truce. The French government, the European power closest to Haftar, insists it had no prior warning of his assault, which is closing in on the capital, Tripoli. The outcome could shape not just the politics of Libya, but also the security of the Mediterranean, and the relevance of democracy across the Middle East and north Africa.